Your recollection is pretty good, for the most part. A little help, though:
(numbers are my best recollection-may be off)
1.What a disappointment for the sure cut of Branch. I think people significantly underestimate the effect on the D that Allen's drop off caused. Savings of 3m
2. I'll bet the mortgage that Bennett isn't resigned. At best I'd see him as a Ricky Jean type mid season addition if he wants to play. Savings of 6m
3.Shea being cut is complicated. I think the savings is 70 cents on the dollar. If he stays healthy the cost vs dead money may make him a better value to keep. I suspect he stays, no savings.
McClellin's significant history of concussions seems likely to keep him off the roster, one way or another. Net savings = $1.79M.
4. What's the status of Solder? If he retires the Patriots save something in the area of 6,5m. If he stays I believe he is approx. 10m cap hit. Savings - unknown
Solder is currently UFA, so no savings, only an expense if he re-signs. His 2017 cap hit was just over $11M.
5, I can;t imagine Allen will stay at the 5m expected for 2018. Looking at a savings of maybe couple of million if reworked or the full 5m if cut. Best guess is a rework and a savings of 2m.
An extension-restructuring of Dwayne Allen could reduce his 2018 cap hit much closer to $2M, saving more like $3M.
6.Unless Gill is impressing the Patriots in some secret way and Lewis can't be resigned then he's gone. He is gone. Savings of 3m
.
Gillislee's 2018 cap hit is $2.18M. That makes him the 23rd-highest-compensated RB in the league. The net savings from cutting him is about $1.6M.
If he's cut now for the sake of cap savings, and the Pats can't afford to compete with the offers that Lewis and Burkhead get and, thus, can't re-sign them, that leaves the Pats with only White and Bolden at RB, and a gaping hole at the position that would need to be filled with RBs who may (or my not) be as effective as Gillislee was in 2017, who may (or may not) be as cheap as Gillislee, who may (or may not) having any NFL experience, and who would need to learn the offense from scratch.
7. Cook I believe is on the books for 7.5m. What happens now?
Cooks' 2018 cap hit is $8.459M (his 5th-year option amount).
If the Pats extend him this season, it could reduce his 2018 cap hit by as much as $4.5M. Such an extension
now (or before July, at least) might retain him for another 4-5 years at an APY of under $13M. If they wait until he's a free agent in 2019, it may require something in the $15M+ APY range to retain him.
8. Harris retired. Savings of 2m (his inability to contribute on the field hurt too)
9. Britt wont be back. savings of 1.5m
The net cap savings from Harris' retirement was approximately $1.57M.
The net cap savings from cutting Britt would only be about $895k. Somewhat similar to Gillislee, cutting Britt would be cutting a skill position player with extensive NFL experience and at least some experience with the Pats' offensive system - for negligible cap savings.
I suspect Gronk will be back.
I suspect Solder will be back.
I suspect Cooks stays (whether to finish his deal or on a new deal).
Not counting reworks and smaller dollar cuts, approx. 18m savings. 2018 cap availability is 30m? First and foremost hopefully this space translates to getting much better at LB
The cuts/restructurings you propose, including extending Cooks, might increase the the Pats' cap space to around $37M. However, that still leaves Solder, Amendola, Lewis, Burkhead, both backup OT, and Marquis Flowers, plus core special teamers Bademosi, Ebner, Slater, and King unsigned. Re-signing all of them is likely to hit the 2018 cap for about $30M, with Solder getting about 1/3 of that money. Additionally, the Pats may need to come up with as much as $5M to cover the 2018 cap hits of their draft picks and UDFAs.
